Stretching device



STRETCEING DEVICE Filed Aug. 19, 1921 WALTER 5-FREEE1URE1 is atensioning .Patented Ma 8, 1928.

UNITED STA Tas- WALTER S. FBEEIBURG, OI! MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB,BY MESNE ASSIGN MENTS, TO THE FISK'BUBBER COMPANY, OF CHICOPEE FALLS,MASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION MASSACHUSETTS:

srnn'rcirme DEVICE.

Application filed August 19, 1921. Serial No. 493,731.

My invention relates to stretching devices and the principal object ofmy invention is to provide an improved device of this type. In thedrawings accompanying this specification and forming a part thereof Ihave shown, for purposes of illustration, one cmbodiment-of my inventionin which the device is utilized to impart stretch to fabric which isbeing rubberized and is therefore combined with a rubberizing calender.In these drawings Figure 1 represents a general view of the device,Figure 2 is a detail. view of the mounting of the upper tensioning bar,

and Figure 3 1s a plan view of the circuit,

.control. I

The device herein shown comprises an upper calender roll 11, a centercalender roll 12, and a lower calender roll 13, all of which may be ofany desired construction. The driving gears have been omitted in theinterest of clearness but may take any conventional form, examples beingshown in the patents to Gwozdz 1,402,160, June 3, 1922, and Midgley1,500,679, July 8, 1924. The rolls 12 and 13 are adapted to receivebetween them the fabric strip 14.

Positioned just ahead of the calender rolls device 15 comprising'a pairof rotatable bars 16 adapted to lie beneath the fabric strip and apreferably non-rotat-" able bar 17 adapted to lie above the fabric stripand to cooperate with the bars 16 to retard the movementof the fabricand thereby place under tension the fabric between the calender rollsand the and in this mannerimpart stretch to the fabric. The bar 17 issupported by a pair oi screw-threaded rods 18 which engage screwthreadedblocks 19 carried by the bar 1'? and each rod 18 carries at its upperend a bevel "gear 20 adapted to cooperate with a bevel gear 21 mountedon a cross-shaft 22 so that rotation of one of the rods 18 will causelike rotation of the other rod 18. One of the rods 18 also carries atits lower end a bevel gear 23 which meshes with acooperating bevel gear24 carried by a shaft 25 driven by a motor 26.

' phase induction motor connected to-a line 27 I ning to the linethrough :by means of a wire 28 running directly to the line and a pairof wires 29 and 30 runthe electromagnetic reversing switch 31 operatedby means of solenoids 32 and 33 and held normally in 't'ensioning deviceThe motor 26 may be a threemid-position by centering springs 34. It willbe obvious from the above description that the movement of thereversing" switch 31 will energize the motor 26 and thereby operate therods 18 and thus raise or lower the bar 17 and thus decrease or increasethe tension and stretch of the fabric 14'. It will also be apparent thatthe direction of the rotation of the motor 26 and consequently thedirection of change in tension and stretch of the fabric 14 depends uponthe direction in which the reversing switch 31 is moved in closing themotor current.

The operation of the reversing switch 31 is controlled by means adaptedto so actuate the reversing switch as to produce contin uously uniformstretch in the fabric 14. a

and a pair of rolls 37 positioned beyond the calender rolls. The rolls36 and 37 are driven by the fabric Web and each set of rolls is gearedtogether by means of suitable gears 38 and 39 respectively. The lowerrolls in the two pairs are provided with shafts 40 and 41 carrying bevelgears 42 and 43 respectively. The gear 42 meshes with a cooperatingbevel gear 44 carried by a shaft 45 hearing a finger 46 whichis-electrically connected by a conductor 47 to one terminal of a sourceof power 48 the other terminal of which is connected by a conductor 49to one terminal of each of the solenoids 32 and 33. The bevel gear 43meshes with a cooperating-bevel gear 50 carried by a shaft 51 which ,inturn carries an insulated disc 52 provided with a pair' of contactsegments 53 and 54 separated by the insulating segment 55 and connectedrespectively to sliprings 56 and 57 on which bear brushes 58 and v 59connected by conductors 60 and 61 to the remaining terminals of thesolenoids 32 and 33 respectively. The shafts 45 and 51 are geared to theshafts 40 and 41 by gear sets of such ratio that the proportion betweenthe ratio of the set 5043 and the ratio of the set 44--42-is theproportion of stretch 51 will rotate at the same speed, the finger 46will remain on the insulating segment 55, no current will be imparted toeither of the solenoids 32 or 33, the electromagnetic reversing switch31 will remain in neutral position, and the motor 26 will not beenergized. It will also be apparent that should the shaft 51 rotate at adifferent speed than the shaft the finger 46 will engage either thesegment 53 or the segment 54 to'thereby energize either the solenoid 32or the solenoid 33 and thus close the reversing switch 31 in onedirection or the other to thereby energize the motor 26 and raise orlower the bar 1.7 and thus impart greater or less stretch to the fabric14. Different proportions of stretch are secured by changing theproportion of the ratios between the two gear sets, for example bychanging the gear set 43.

The disclosure herein is illustrative only and my invention is, ofcourse, not limited thereto.

I claim:

1. A continuous stretching device comprising means adapted tocontinuously impart longitudinal tension to a moving web, means to varythe action of said tension imparting means, means to measure the amountof stretch in the Web, and meanscontrolled by said measuring means forcontrolling said varying means to thereby hold constant the amount ofstretch in the web.

2. A continuous stretching device comprismg means adapted tocontinuously impart longitudinal tension to a moving Web, pairs ofmeasuring rolls positioned on opposite sides of said means, to measurethe amount of stretch in the Web, and means controlled by said measuringrolls to vary the tension imparted by said first named means to therebyhold constant the amount of stretch in the Web passing between themeasuring rolls.

3. A continuous stretching device comprising means adapted tocontinuously impart longitudinal tension to a moving Web, pairs ofmeasuring rolls, positioned on opposite sides of said means and drivenfrom the Web, said measuring rolls being operatively con nected togetherto measure a predetermined amount of stretch in the web, andmeanscontrolled by said measuring rolls to vary the tension imparted by saidfirst named means to thereby maintain such predetermined amount ofstretch in the Web.

A continuous stretching device comprising means adapted to continuouslyimpart tension to a moving web, pairs of measuring rolls positioned onopposite sides of said means, and driven from the web, aligned shaftsgeared respectively to said pairs of measuring rolls, the gear ratiosbeing proportionalv to a predetermined amount of stretch in the Webbetween said measuring rolls, whereby said shafts normally rotate atequal speeds, and means positioned. between the ends of said shafts andresponsive to differential movement therebetween to vary the tensionimparted to the web by said first named means to thereby maintain saidpredetermined amount of stretch in the web.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to the above specification.

WVALTER S. FREEBURG.

